Neil McGregor, Germany: Memories of a Nation

Neil McGregor has recently announced he's leaving the British Museum to go and work in Germany, which is obviously a country he has a great deal of affection for. The book is not a history of Germany as such, but an attempt to explain the German character and culture through experiences and art from the 15th Century onwards. It's very readable, no specific knowledge is required, and some of the illustrations are fabulous. Lovely maps too.

Freddie had his first swimming gala at the weekend, finishing 10th out of 11th in Front Crawl and 11th out of 11th in Back stroke. He was really disheartened at the time, bless him, but we're trying to encourage him as it was his first ever gala and the others (although the same age) are a lot more advanced. We've been swimming since, and he was back to having a smile on his face and being cheeky to the teacher, so hopefully he'll keep enjoying it.  We've just signed him up for cello lessons next term too. Helen and I had a bit of a spat about an incentive for him if he completed the course. Helen suggested £10, which I thought was just insulting for all the work he'd have to do. Maybe I'm too soft.

Captain Marryat, The Children of the New Forest

The Children of the New Forest has been on the bookshelf for ages now, and my Tsundoku backlog has got so big the bookshelf in the small room broke, and now only holds non-fiction, with fiction piled by the radiator. I think I bought it for Ella, and it's a book I'd love Fred to read in a few years, although right now he doesn't seem interested in 'chapter books' at all. Every now and then it seems we've cracked it and he gets really into a book, but it only seems to last a night and then it's a trial to try and get him to read again. Factual books seem to interest him, but not fiction. Having said that, we've been reading a graphic novel of Tom Sawyer which he does seem to want to read independently, but he doesn’t seem to have much comprehension of what has happened. Even with me reading to him he only wants the first chapter or two and then isn’t interested. Danny The Champion of The World, the BFG, The Dark is Rising: We've read the first few chapters of each before he has lost interest.

The Children of the New Forest is set just after the civil war, about 4 noble children whose father died fighting for Charles I, and have to fend for themselves hiding in the woods with the support of some loyal retainers. Naturally it all turns out ok in the end, but it's a good read for kids longing to escape adult controls and society. Although obviously sympathetic to the royalist cause, it's not as laughably one-sided as the Scarlet Pimpernel at least.

Being the uncultured slob that I am, the thought of the Scarlet Pimpernel conjures up the image of Sid James as the Black Fingernail in my mind, with Kenneth Williams in  hot pursuit. Fred came home from school the other day full of enthusiasm for a poem Mrs Sinhal had read - The Jabberwocky. He seemed stunned that I knew it, and as he enjoyed it so much I had him listen to Rambling Sid Rumpo's 'The Ballad of the Woggler's Moolie' which he found absolutely hilarious, something he has in common with his Grandad (and his Dad, for that matter). I've downloaded the album now and he barks with laughter in the car. I'm hoping a lot of it will go over his head for a few more years at least. .. 

Ian Bell, Once Upon a Time: The Lives of Bob Dylan, George MacDonald Fraser, Mr American, Catherine Merridale, The Red Fortress: The Secret Heart of Russia's History

Dylan is fascinating me at the moment. Obviously I'm very late coming to him, but the quality of his songs and his seeming ability to pluck them out of the air is incredible. I'm approaching him chronologically, and am up to Highway '61 Revisited at the moment, so there are decades more to come. I've added a few of his songs to our evening repertoire too. Freddie likes The Girl From The North Country, Libby likes Don't Think Twice It's Alright.

Particular favourite songs at the moment for Libby are Emily Barker's Blackbird (still), The Pogues' 'Rainy Night in Soho' and 'I'm a Man you don’t meet every day', Madness' 'The Sun and the Rain. She's pretty much word perfect on all of them, certainly on the choruses which she belts out.

Bibs is really close to talking now - he can just about manage 'mummy', 'daddy and 'geggy' which cover everything interchangeably. He understands a lot though  'coat', 'bath', 'Freddie', 'Libby' etc. He really enjoys FaceTime on the phone too, so we're speaking to the Sawyer family a lot at the moment. Freddie has started cubs, with me helping out there. We're both really enjoying it, although that may change after this week, as they are going for their home help badge - ironing, sewing and window cleaning. .  . .